Monthly Archives: June 2012

There are many reasons for this fact. Cacti are most interesting plants. They grow in many shapes and sizes. They have spines in many diverse shapes, patterns and numbers. They reproduce easily. And maybe the number one reason for enjoying cacti, is that they take very little effort.

Cacti are a New World plant group and are mostly found in arid parts of this side of the globe.They thrive from the high, cold and dry Altacama Desert of Chile, to the hot southwestern United States. In fact, cacti occur naturally in each of the mainland 48 states and into Canada.

Because they are xerophytes, they require little water or time-consuming care as do other vascular plants. That makes cacti real user-friendly.

But an additional reason to enjoy cacti are the many variety of flowers. When a cactus gets moisture in nature, it believes that it’s time to reproduce and puts out its flowers in hopes of polination by bees, moths, bats and other critters of cactus country. Again, cacti are show-offs. They may frequently flower with large multi-colored, spectacular flowers, or put out only a few. And some produce blossoms larger than the plant itself. Sometimes, because of the plant’s natural camouflage, these flowers and the bees that they attract are the only method to find the cactus itself.

October 23-25, 2012

Join noted photographers, authors and instructors, Brian and Shirley Loflin for a highly instructional, hands-on bird photography workshop in the heart of the South Texas flyway. The workshop features a half-day of full detailed instruction and three half-days of shooting in some of the best South Texas birding habitat available where the neotropical bird varieties abound.

The workshop will be held at the Laguna Seca Ranch in the heart of the lush Rio Grande Valley. Features of this 700-acre ranch are purpose-designed for photography and preserved with all-native plants and animals. It features four constant-level ponds, each with permanent photography blinds oriented for the best use of light. Nearly eighty species have been listed on the ranch. Laguna Seca Ranch clearly offers a unique South Texas birding and photography adventure!

At Laguna Seca Ranch we bring the birds to you! We will set up natural perches considering the best photographic light possible. Most photography of the best scenarios is just 12-15 feet from your lens! Birds have water, dripping attractions and are fed year-round so attraction of the best species is stress-free.

This workshop is designed for serious photographers who are competent in the use of their camera and equipment, yet may not have experienced the thrill of producing bird photographs of the highest quality. Copious instruction will include hands-on demonstrations in bird photography, understanding best exposures and camera settings, and the use of flash. Instruction will also include how to set up in a blind and shooting etiquette, setting up perches, best management of backgrounds and light and much more.